


Something About a Kiss

by evlpunky



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: First Kiss, Helping each other out, M/M, but her presence in koreiyo's life impacts his actions, different POVs, korekiyos sister is bad, she doesn't show in the fic, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-26 17:31:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19010497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evlpunky/pseuds/evlpunky
Summary: Korekiyo discusses kisses in different cultures with Gonta.





	Something About a Kiss

While organizing his lab, Korekiyo noticed a recurring theme in the misplaced books. Stories that told of wistful star-crossed lovers, or heros in perilous journeys for the sake of their loved ones. Sad endings, bittersweet endings, happy endings, all at his fingertips, yet still bound by the topic of love. Feeling at the indented lettering, he wondered if a certain someone’s thoughts preoccupied their choice in literature. Said person, a few meters away, was doing his best to help organize a shelf.

Ah, he could not blame him. In the start of a new relationship, people tend to get hung up on the romantic aspects of life. Or perhaps, he turned to some of these books for information about the subject, because the situation was unfamiliar to him. Either way, he couldn’t deny that he skimmed through a few of the same titles days before confessing his own attraction to the entomologist.

Korekiyo felt that Gonta’s interest in the books were certainly validating. Not only did Gonta’s actions reaffirm his feelings, it indicated thoughtfulness to his interests. Actually, though the word “validated” is technically correct, a better word to describe his emotional state would be exhilarated. He’s sure that without his mask his giddiness would be unmistakable.

He forced down the excessive elation, and scanned the selection of books once more before thinking of a way to respond, or if he should respond to it in the first place.

“Did you know kisses can have different meanings in various cultures?” Korekiyo broke the silence. Gonta stopped what he was doing to turn towards him.

“Really? Gonta didn't know.” A moment passed. After noticing that Korekiyo wasn’t going back to his cleaning, Gonta walked closer to him.

“Yes, and the meaning can change depending on what is being kissed. For instance, in some European countries, a kiss on the cheek is a greeting. Others would consider it a friendly or romantic gesture,” Korekiyo continued. “, Another example is that, during the Middle Ages, a kiss could seal contracts. Many people were not literate at the time, so instead of writing their name, men signed legal contracts by drawing an X on a line and kissing it. This is the reason an X symbolizes a kiss today.”

Gonta nodded his head. “, Oh, Gonta thinks he’s heard of the first one, but he has not heard about kisses being used for contracts. That’s really interesting! Is there other kisses Korekiyo wants to talk about?” Korekiyo hummed before finding another kiss to speak of. Not much could be said of it, but he’s sure he would enjoy seeing Gonta’s reaction.

“ Well, A butterfly kiss…,” To Korekiyo’s amusement, Gonta’s eyes lit up at the mention of the insect. He restrained a chuckle that turned into a subdued choking noise. Korekiyo cleared his throat.

“... The butterfly kiss is when someone rapidly blinks their eyes close to another person so that the eyelashes brush against them. This action is meant to mimic the flutter of a butterfly's wings. It's seen as an intimate action, but that does not necessarily mean that it's romantic.” Gonta remained enraptured by the information. Korekiyo relished in Gonta’s attentiveness. Emboldened, he kept going. 

“A kiss common among gentlemen is a kiss on the hand.” Korekiyo took Gonta’s hand in his, raising it slightly. Gonta jumped slightly at the unexpected contact, but made no attempt to remove it. Korekiyo, seeing the other startled, became unsure of his actions. However, he continued, while examining Gonta’s expressions for any more signals that he should stop.

“In Rome, it was a sign of submission to the Caesar, and that symbolism was carried out in other lands under the rule of a monarch. In 17th century, Europe, it was used to greet a woman of high status, but in countries such as Indonesia, or Turkey, it is used to greet the elderly. Traditionally, the woman would offer her hand to the gentleman as a polite gesture. As a greeting, it is considered inappropriate to actually kiss the hand, and currently more people would prefer a handshake. Do you know why this is?”

Gonta gulped. It took a bit of time for Gonta to answer, but Korekiyo preferred having thought put into his response “, Because… It feels like something people very close would do? Gonta thinks that people who just met would not feel comfortable.”

Korekiyo continued his unnervingly long staring as he said “, Correct. To avoid implications of intimacy in a professional environment, today, people use more distanced gestures.” He bowed a bit, bringing Gonta’s hand closer to his face. “Because of its current association with intimacy, the hand-kiss is occasionally used today to represent romantic attraction.” He briefly pressed his mask to Gonta’s knuckle. 

When he raised his head up, he saw a flushed face and wide eyes staring back at him. In a panic, Korekiyo released Gonta’s hand, and jumped back.

“Sorry. Was that too forward?” Korekiyo’s head tilted slightly away. Both wanting, and not wanting to look at Gonta’s reaction. He pushed Gonta into something he was uncomfortable with. He must have. He must have creeped him out. He ruined everything. He didn't want Gonta to reject him. No, Gonta is far too nice to respond poorly to this. His fear is ridiculous. So why does the idea of being rejected by him make him so afraid? 

Gonta’s hair swayed as he rigorously shook his head.

“No, it’s fine! Gonta was just off guard! That’s all! Gonta is happy you did that!” Korekiyo studied Gonta before determining that to be the truth. He stepped forward again, allowing himself to relax in the space the two shared. It was calming enough that, in time, his heartbeat went back to a resting rate.

“Um, Korekiyo?” Gonta looked hesitant.  
“...Yes?” He answered slowly.  
“Would you mind... if Gonta kissed you too?” Gonta asked.  
Korekiyo blinked. “, Of course not. It would be a pleasure.” 

He offered his hand to Gonta, who gave it a chaste kiss. Korekiyo covered his mouth with his other hand, though the mask should be good enough at hiding his smile.

Even after lowering Korekiyo’s hand, he continued to hold it casually. Gonta’s hand was pleasant and warm against his normally cold ones. Firm, but with care not to crush him.

Korekiyo found himself leaning in. Pressing up to him. Resting his head on his shoulder. He didn't really think that their time spent organizing his lab would turn into cuddling, or a “first kiss”, but he's fine. Everything is fine.

Gonta has been a pleasant change in his life. Kind. Forgiving. Never controlling. No hidden motives. No conditions. Simple, and never asking for much. Though he wished that Gonta did asked for things more often; he deserved more. His low self-esteem prevented him from seeing the beauty he possessed, or his value as a human.

It's only been a few weeks, but he already knew that this was a lot different than how he previously experienced love. He hoped that he could make as much as impact in Gonta’s life as he already did for him. Until then, all he could do was try to be the boyfriend that Gonta deserved.

\--

In between visits to Korekiyo, and his lab, Gonta picked up reading the many books in the bookshelves. The stories in them were fairly interesting, and he could recognize a few of them from the many lectures the anthropologist gave. Korekiyo was normally so quiet, a person who prefered to observe rather than engage with his surroundings. The only time Gonta really saw Korekiyo speak up was when he talked about anthropology. It was truly something to see him light up as he went on and on about folklore. So that is why he decided that he would learn more about the thing that made Korekiyo so happy. 

He arrived earlier than when they agreed to clean the lab to read. While he had tried to put the books back in place, he would occasionally forget, berate himself for doing so, and have to settle for placing them in the general area where he found them. When Korekiyo arrived early as well, Gonta hastily hide the evidence of his study session.

Korekiyo looked at Gonta in surprise. “ Oh, Gonta! I thought we agreed to meet 30 minutes from now.”

“We did, but Gonta wanted to get here early.” Korekiyo’s head tilted curiously. 

“Hm? Why did you want to do that?” 

Gonta scratched the back of his head as he said “, Gonta was going to surprise you, but… Gonta was trying to learn more about folklore.” Korekiyo looked at Gonta intensely, before saying, “ Ah, I see. I'm pleased that you are interested in learning more.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but he left it at that.

Organizing the lab went on normally. Gonta found a shelf in need of cleaning, while Korekiyo took to the bookshelves. They both were focused on their work until Korekiyo said “, Did you know kisses can have different meanings in various cultures?”

Gonta stopped what he was doing. What? Where did that come from? Korekiyo was standing near the shelf he blindly shoved the books into. Did that have to do with it? 

“Really? Gonta didn't know.” Gonta blinked a few times. Korekiyo was still looking at him, signaling that he wanted to start what was likely going to be a lengthy conversation. Gonta moved toward him.

Gonta was more expecting to hear about the typical mouth kiss, but instead, Korekiyo spoke of how kissing a cheek was greeting in certain areas, and of how, in the past, it was used to seal contracts.

Gonta nodded along to Korekiyo’s words. The conversation felt lighter than the topics Korekiyo usually went over, and he was prepared to hear more. “, Oh, Gonta thinks he’s heard of the first one, but he has not heard about kisses being used for contracts. That’s really interesting! Is there other kisses Korekiyo wants to talk about?”

Korekiyo hummed, before saying “, Well, a butterfly kiss-” Gonta perked up at the mention of the bug. Sadly, Korekiyo had to stop the sentence to cough. When Korekiyo continued his sentence, Gonta was very interested in knowing what a ‘butterfly kiss’ was. To Gonta’s happiness, Korekiyo’s description sounded just as pleasant as the name.

“A kiss common among gentlemen is a kiss on the hand,” Korekiyo said as he held Gonta’s hand. It's not like they haven't held hands before, but the suddenness of the action made him jump. He noticed Korekiyo searching his face. He tried to push back his own feelings of uncertainty. Going by the topic at hand, even Gonta could understand that Korekiyo was not being subtle. 

Then Korekiyo asked why people prefer using a handshake as a greeting. Gonta felt nervous about possibly answering wrong. He knew that even if he got it wrong, Korekiyo would just explain the right answer, but he still felt pressure to get it right.

Gonta looked down at Korekiyo’s gentle hold of his hand. He visualized their position, and compared to a handshake “, Because…um, It feels like something people very close would do? Gonta thinks that people who just met would not feel comfortable...”

Gonta felt relieved when Korekiyo confirmed that was indeed the reason. However, at the end of the lecture, Gonta could feel his face get warm as Korekiyo pressed his masked mouth to his knuckle. Knowing what was going to happen did not make the actual thing any less surprising. 

When he was done, Korekiyo’s eyes were wide open in shock. He quickly dropped Gonta’s hand, and backed away. His look of mortification was quickly forced into something more neutral. It still shown signs of fear, just more controlled. Gonta felt deeply hurt that he had somehow made Korekiyo that afraid. 

“Sorry. Was that too forward?” Korekiyo said, no longer keeping eye contact.

 

He shook his head. “No, it’s fine! Gonta was just off guard! That’s all! Gonta is happy you did that!” Gonta hoped that in his outburst, his feelings would reach Korekiyo, and encourage him. When Korekiyo regained the nerve to look at him again, Gonta tried his best to look non-threatening, as if he were trying to coax a scared animal from running away. Apparently it worked, because Korekiyo went closer to him. They stood next to each other for a short while. Neither of them wanted to do anything that would distress the other. After this moment of peace, however, Gonta felt like Korekiyo would probably appreciate him returning the gesture. 

“Um, Korekiyo?”  
“...Yes?” Korekiyo still seemed shaken, which was bad, but at least he was willing to respond.  
“Would you mind…if Gonta kissed you too?” Korekiyo looked surprised, but not in a bad way, which was good.  
“Of course not. It would be a pleasure.” 

Korekiyo let Gonta take his hand, and Gonta made an attempt at copying what Korekiyo did. When Korekiyo did it, his mask got in the way, but Gonta managed to do that without instruction. 

He did not let go of Korekiyo’s hand, but instead let them intertwine. Thin, wrapped up fingers tangle into thick, callused ones like vines on a tree. Korekiyo cuddled up to his side, breathing calmly. 

Korekiyo is someone Gonta cares about very much. He’s smart. He's polite. He's beautiful. He's understanding. He explains things so well. He reminds Gonta of his good traits. He tells him he is worthy. That he doesn't give himself enough credit. That he is needed. Korekiyo is a kind person. If he wasn't, then he would not have attempted to get over his fear of bugs.

These past few weeks, Korekiyo has helped Gonta feel more confident in himself. Though he keeps a calm demeanor, moments like this remind Gonta that Korekiyo also has issues that still need to be worked out. Gonta wishes that he can help Korekiyo feel better too.

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy!  
> I keep posting things months after making them instead of when they are relevant-ish bc anxiety ;;;


End file.
